Benet gets ball to right player
In the waning moments of a tight game, Benet's Dave Sobolewski wants the ball in his hands.
So does every Redwings fan in the gymnasium.
Benet's junior guard capped a 41-point performance by knocking down a pair of free throws with 7.9 seconds left to beat Downers Grove South 63-61 in Friday's Class 4A Geneva regional final.
"I wanted to be at the line," said Sobolewski, who matched a personal high for points. "Whenever it comes down the stretch, I want the ball. And I wanted it tonight. Luckily enough, I was the one at the line and I shot it with confidence."
On the heels of their first regional title since 2005, the third-seeded Redwings (24-3) will play No. 7 East Aurora (19-9), a 76-68 overtime winner over Neuqua Valley, in Wednesday's Neuqua Valley sectional semifinals.
Sobolewski scored 16 points in the fourth quarter, including Benet's final 10 points. The Redwings trailed 57-51 with 2 minutes, 31 seconds left before Dylan Flood scored and Sobolewski knocked down a 3-pointer.
Otis Wilbut scored for No. 6 Downers South to make it 59-56, but Sobolewski was fouled while attempting a 3-pointer and nailed all 3 free throws to tie the game.
Wilbut again scored, but Sobolewski converted a layup to tie it at 61 apiece with 38 seconds left.
The Mustangs could have held for the last shot at that point, but they missed a baseline jumper with about 20 seconds left. The Redwings recovered the rebound and got the ball to Sobolewski.
Downers South surprisingly fouled Sobolewski far away from the basket, setting up the winning free throws. The Mustangs failed to get off a shot in the final seconds.
"I think we outplayed them for a large portion of the game, but we let their best player kind of take over at the end," said Downers South coach Jay Baum. "It's just painful to lose a game like that. We've got to find a way to finish and close out games in the future."
After 6-foot-10 Redwings junior Frank Kaminsky scored 39 points in the regional semifinals, he scored 10 points and grabbed 9 rebounds against a physical Downers South post game. Wilbut led the Mustangs with 17 points while Millison scored 13 points and Bledi Dervishi added 12 points.
Sobolewski scored all his points - highlighted by seven 3-pointers and 12-of-13 free-throw shooting - in the final three quarters. He scored 16 points in the second quarter.
"He just hit some big shots and wouldn't let us lose," said Benet coach Gene Heidkamp. "There's not a guard around that I would take ahead of him. Big players play in big games, and he certainly stepped up."